Manhattan beats Illinois State 79-70

NORMAL, Ill. -- George Beamon scored a game-high 24 points as Manhattan rolled to a 79-70 victory over Illinois State on Wednesday night.

Beamon hit 8 of 16 from the floor and was 7 of 9 from the line with seven rebounds. Rhamel brown had 14 points and a team-high 13 rebounds and Michael Alvarado had 11 points. Guard Donovan Kates came off the bench to hit 4 of 4 free throws and score 10 points.

The Jaspers got off to an 8-0 start on their way to a 36-30 halftime lead. They dominated in the second, leading by as many as 15 points.

The Redbird bench was instrumental in keeping Illinois State competitive with Daishon Knight scoring a team-high 21 points followed by Reggie Lynch with 12 points and five rebounds. Both Lynch and starting guard Bobby Hunter fouled out.